Realizing What is Absinthe Made Of?

All of us have been aware of the marvelous mythical drink, Absinthe – the drink regarded as hallucinogenic, the Green Fairy that may cause you to see fairies, the anise flavoured herbal spirit well-known in Bohemian Montmartre. But, very few people can respond to the question “What is Absinthe made of?”. They may say wormwood but not many will be capable to expand on that!

So, what is Absinthe made of?

Well, Absinthe was created by the legendary Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland in the late eighteenth century being an elixir for his patients. Henri-Louis Pernod started selling Absinthe commercially at the turn of the nineteenth century and utilized a wine base and macerated herbs which includes common wormwood (artemisia absinthium), fennel, green aniseed, hyssop, angelica root, lemon balm, dittany, star anise, nutmeg, veronica and juniper to flavor and color the alcohol.

Other herbs employed in Absinthe manufacturing include: calamus root, mint, cloves, sweet flag, licorice, caraway seeds, coriander seeds and also roman wormwood (artemisia pontica) also called petite wormwood. Claude-Alain Bugnon, the well-known bootlegger who now distills Absinthe in Switzerland, also flavors his La Clandestine Absinthe with local Alpine herbs which give his Absinthe a taste of honey and also a bouquet of Alpine meadows.

It is the essential oils of the herbs in Absinthe which make the Absinthe to louche when water is added. The oils are soluble in alcohol yet not in water and so precipitate when the water is put in making the drink turn cloudy or milky. If your Absinthe does not louche then it is probably not a real Absinthe or a top quality Absinthe rich in essential oils.

AbsintheKit.com, who produce distilled Absinthe essences for individuals to make real Absinthe in the home, employ classic Absinthe herbs to flavor their essences. This implies that Absinthe created from their essences will taste excellent and will also louche beautifully.

Some Czech Absinth doesn’t contain anise or aniseed and is really just a type of wormwood bitters. Make sure that you purchase real anise and wormwood Absinthe to discover the actual classic flavor.

The common wormwood plant is regarded as the most renowned Absinthe ingredient, the ingredient which gives Absinthe its slightly bitter taste and also the ingredient which brought on Absinthe to be prohibited in several countries in early 1900s. Initially used since ancient times as a medicine, it grew to become defined as a psychoactive neurotoxin which trigger psychedelic effects for instance hallucinations, convulsion as well as spasms. Wormwood oil includes a chemical called thujon or thujone that was compared to THC in cannabis. Absinthe was shown to contain huge amounts of thujone and to lead to driving customers to insanity and also to death.

Nonetheless, recent surveys and tests have demostrated that vintage Absinthe actually only covered small amounts of thujone, nowhere near enough to become at all damaging. EU and US laws only permit Absinthe with small amounts of thujone to be bought and sold so Absinthe is completely safe to use and enjoy.

Absinthe is a spirit or liquor not a liqueur as it lacks added sugar. It’s really a high proof alcoholic drink but is usually served diluted with iced water and sugar. While it is safe to consume, you need to know that it is an incredibly strong spirit and definitely will quickly allow you to get drunk especially if you combine it with other spirits in cocktails!

So, the response to the question “What is Absinthe made of?” is readily answered – alcohol and a blend of herbs.